Letter from John
As I have been reflecting on the sermon on Rally Day, I have been thinking of those who taught me how to be a faithful Christian. One of the first people I always think of is Jim Holderness, who was the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Dalton, GA when I was the Youth Director there. What I learned from Jim was to always push for the highest level of achievement I could attain, and I can thank him for becoming both a certified Christian Educator and for my doctoral degree. I also learned the art of hospitality from him.
When I was little, one of my first memories of being in worship with my grandmother was trying to sing along in the hymnal and being totally confused by the layout of a hymn. In my child’s mind, to sing the next line of the hymn, you did not sing skip down to the next line of music, but to the next line of words. We all know that is not how it works! It was only when my grandmother, who realized my confusion and put her finger on the words to point where we were, did congregational singing finally begin to make sense.
How do you continue to teach your teenagers and young adults, buy words and actions to be faithful Christians in today’s world? We in the church believe that parents are the primary teachers of faith. Please let us know how we can support you. Matt Wiggins and the youth program have a great group for parents that meets during youth group on Sunday evenings. If you haven’t been involved, this fall would be a great time to try it out!
Peace,
John Ryan
